Saturday, August 19, 2006

From the reports in the media these are the ingredients that the British jihadist bombers were planning to create ‘murder and mayhem on an unprecedented scale’ with.

Your aim is to make triacetone triperoxide in a dried powdered form, a high explosive which can be made from 'common household chemicals' and which is 'unlikely to be caught by airport screeners'. This you will make on the plane while in the toilet. The ingredients you will need:

Adequately concentrated hydrogen peroxide. You will have to concerntrate this yourself, which is difficult. Better get a trained chemist to do it for you. Doing it yourself is risky.

Acetone and sulfuric acid.

Add vegetable dye to some of these (very unstable) ingredients and put in drinks bottles such as Powerade energy drink.

Remember to pack in your hand luggage several frozen gel-packs, preferably in a Styrofoam chiller (hydrogen peroxide must be kept near freezing point otherwise it ain’t gonna work), a thermometer, a large beaker, a stirring rod, and a medicine dropper.

‘Once your kit is in place, put a beaker containing the peroxide / acetone mixture into the ice water bath [from the first class Champagne bucket of course], and start adding the acid, drop by drop, while stirring constantly. Watch the reaction temperature carefully. The mixture will heat, and if it gets too hot, you'll end up with a weak explosive. In fact, if it gets really hot, you'll get a premature explosion possibly sufficient to kill you, but probably no one else.

After a few hours - assuming, by some miracle, that the fumes haven't overcome you or alerted passengers or the flight crew to your activities - you'll have a quantity of TATP with which to carry out your mission. Now all you need to do is dry it for an hour or two.

You see – it’s easy to be a jihadist, nihilist suicide bomber. You just need some very tricky ingredients, a virtual laboratory in your hand luggage and half a day or more left alone in the airplane toilet.

32 comments:

Well, I did sort of tell you so.....though much to the chargrin and outrage of several other posters here.

Of course its nonsense....and political theatre....BAD political theatre. Lets check the recent "terror" plots....ricin (bogus), plot to blow up Manchester Stadium (bogus), menzies shooting (tragic mistake), and forest gate...(also bogus)...and in the US we have the Hudson River nonsense...bogus...and we have the LA airport plot....bogus....and the michigan cell phone cell (sic) in which all arrested have now been released....no terror plot there either.

People have to be more skeptical at this point. It should be fairly obvious that timing plays a significant role in these announcements....and that keeping people "afraid" is crucial for the continuing errosion of civil liberties...and, for that matter, constitutional liberties.

Craig Murray has a couple pieces (available several places....but I recall Common Dreams) on this plot....and Bill Blum in Anti Empire report has gone over the material too. The idiocy of throwing out baby formula (and why would a suicide bomber care if he or she drank poison anyway???) is the perfect metaphor for the current collective paranoia.

So all that outrage about 'people getting blown out of the sky'...yada yada yada....might be better directed to the corrupt and dishonest UK and US governments.....no?And lets not forgot the racism involved in this.....terror means muslim to most people....never mind ETA and the Hindu fanatics that burned up muslims in Gujurat, or the abortion clinic bombers in the US, or northern ireland, and on and on and on were NOT muslims......todays villians have been designated Islamic....and so we have fake terror alerts....complete with the clear implications that this is the work of Al Queda and other nasty arab crazies.

Of course its nonsense....and political theatre....BAD political theatre.

You see, that looks close to me like the “Ah, it was all to distract attention from Lebanon” type gibberish of nice middle class white ladies who walk in demonstrations with banners that read ‘We are all Hezbollah now’…..

This is not part of any conspiracy by governments.

What it is, is another panicky attempt by governments to prove they are doing ‘something’ about the ‘terrorist threat’.

I assume there are a few nutters plotting wild schemes such as this, and they probably had some kind of plan to do something. And occasionally these adolescent middle class nihilists will do something horrible.

These people are an occasional threat to people in big cities and airplanes in the west (and a lot more dangerous to the poor people of the middle east). But where governments and anti Islamo-fascists go very wrong is in imaging than these jihadist fools are a ‘threat to western civilization’ as we know it and ‘to our way of life’.

The jihadists are just picking up on the weaknesses of western values with its relativism etc and also playing up to the multicultural ‘victim mentality’ that is prevalent in the UK.

Jihadists are the Super Victims. But they are no threat to ‘our way of life’…but we are in our panicky reaction to them.

beat.....Almost every bogus threat I listed was non-operational....and included an agent provacetuer.....meaning a plant that encouraged a group of morons to talk more openly about various fantasies. Now I also happen to think it *is* government planned to the degree that they choose the time to release the story (the recent one was no threat....nothing was about to happen....but it was a good moment, indeed, to distract attention from lebanon and probably Lieberman's loss in the US -- I dont know how Blair and his advisors or Bush and Rove think....havent a clue....but I see some weird timing in each of these announcements).

I dont think the US and UK go out and invent from whole cloth a "plot"....but they certainly come close in how they create these situations. Check how many people in any of these terror alerts in the US and UK have actually been charged......!!

I DO agree that the pre packaged fear factor (with idiots like melanie phillips, or the Huntington crowd, et al) is the more germane issue. The muslim bashing and demonizing of same is essentially the creation of enemies....much needed by governments (reminded of Kwitney's book of many years ago, about the CIA...."Endless Enemies"). No, the muslims are not at the door...trying to attack the west and force your daughter to wear a veil......and one is much more likely to suffer due to corrupt governments and corporate greed and bad water and degrading plastic food containers and most US troops now are showing signs of DU poisoning....(well, not MOST, but a substantial number).....than you are from a poor radical arab in some distant impoverished land....or, the new trope....home grown militants.

Anyway, lets also remember who colonized the middle east and how the US (especially) propped up various dictators (and still do) and this, in fact, is what has created the extremists that are out there..... desperation and poverty and oppression. Globalization means dumping cheap tomotoes on Mali....the small farmer gives up....moves to Pakistan to find work to send money back to his starving family....and is given a place to stay by radical clerics.....viola, an extremist is born. I am being reductive again, I know, but I am amazed when people dont look past symptoms to find causes.

i think we more or less agree on this.....I just am a lot more cynical.

But these kinds of people have and will do horrible, barbaric things in London, in Germany (where two bombs failed to go off last month), in Madrid, in the US. They will do it again. My point is…that while they are a danger, occasionally, to individuals, random bombings are not a threat to civilization. Neither is their ‘ideology’…are you tempted by it? No, neither am I.

lets also remember who colonized the middle east and how the US (especially) propped up various dictators (and still do) and this, in fact, is what has created the extremists that are out there.... desperation and poverty and oppression.

I think that works in the context of the middle east and elsewhere in unstable, developing countries where violence is a fact of life, anyway.

But ‘desperation and poverty and oppression’ doesn’t work with the typical British jihadist (or those of 9/11 infamy) who were largely from educated, middle class backgrounds who became ‘radicalized’ a long way from the dusty streets of the third world.

You said: "terror means muslim to most people....never mind ETA and the Hindu fanatics that burned up muslims in Gujurat, or the abortion clinic bombers in the US, or northern ireland, and on and on and on were NOT muslims."

Your argument and examples against the recognition and profiling of Muslims in the terrorist threat are very week indeed. ETA, Hindus and abortion clinic bombers? Are you joking? How anyone can seriously offer these groups as true comparisons to the Islamofascist terrorist threat is ludicrous. The average person on the street is not worried about the folks you cited but very much afraid of the Muslim terrorists. Do some research. Ask your neighbors. I did and I do not get the same viewpoints that you so consistently convey. It could just be a geographical difference but anyone residing in New York City, DC, Seatle, London, Madrid, Bali, Toronto and many more would be inclined to fear Islamic terror more than the examples you cite. Don't get me wrong, I would like to believe you and acquire your "carefree" attitude but those various Islamic terror groups around the globe just keep plotting to kill more and more people every day.

please Roman.....I would argue that the fact that so many of your friends and people in advanced countries (sic) fear Islamic terror is simply a product of the demonizing of same by the governments involved. So, no Im not joking....and the comparisons are perfectly legitimate....but what you seem determined to insist on is a threat by Islamic fundamentalists. What is it your afraid of, exactly? I fear the US Imperial war machine far more...and the insane attack on civil liberties.....curious THIS doesnt seem to cause you any concern.

This doesnt make me carefree.....hardly. In fact I fear a lot about the destruction of the enviornment...about a 2 billion dollar a day defense budget by the US....meaning a need to keep wars going. You really think Iraq and Afganistan are part of a war on terror? If not, then waht exactly is the war on terror about? War on an abstract noun....as Gore Vidal put it.

Check who has the power.....check if we really are in danger....I mean all the plots we've been discussing are bogus...there were no plots. Now of course some terrorist acts take place...as Beat said....but they are hardly a cause for world paranoia. 9 11 caused something like 2000 deaths....and add up Bali and Madrid....assuming we really know who committed any of these acts....and then add up the dead civilans in iraq....or the US armed wars in Africa.....and you see the scale of difference.

Beat....I more or less agree....except that as I said, Im a lot more cynical. As for poverty and desperation.....ok, the middle class Jihadis in england dont fit....but then what exactly have they done? Not this attack at heathrow certainly....thats clear now. So I dont know how to evaluate that comment at this point. Where to seperate fact from propaganda.

And this is true with Roman too....I mean what groups do you fear so much? What have they done? If you say Bali and Madrid....fine.....lets assume that is who did it...some obscure mulsim fringe fanatics. Does that really seem different from the burning of hundreds of muslims in Gujarat? How many civilians have died in Iraq and Afganistan? In Kosovo due to continued contamination with DU ( i can point you toward articles on the carcinoma clusters appearing in the Balkans due to the bombing by NATO with DU).....and so, sure, people are reacting around the world, in various ways, to injustices. And terror is the war of the stateless....and war the terrorism of the state....as someone said once. The french/algerian war is worth reflecting upon. The FLN were not nice guys.....but they were a product of 140 some years of french occupation.

So terrorism doesnt fall from the sky. There are roots to be examined. And I really find it frustrating to endlessly hear this is about only MUSLIM fanatics....and this is the line of the neo cons and Huntington and Phillips and all the rest of these racist war mongers.

its not being carefree to try to look in a sober way at exactly what this war on terror is about....and against whom it is being waged. Its a sad commentary that so many people simply go along with what they read in the NYTimes or hear on CNN.

One man's "racist war mongers" are another man's presagers. I tend to put my faith into people who work within the system and not those who resort to killing innocents. Your downplaying of the overwhelming evidence of the Islamofascist terror threat is hollow and unconvincing. All these Islamofascist groups that commit heinous murderous acts around the world have one thing in common. They have no stated demands. The only conclusion we can draw from this is that their agenda is one of nihilism. With this in mind, how can "we" act any different?Singing KUMBAYA and listening to grievances just does not seem to work with this crowd.

roman....WHAT....WHAT islamo terror groups around the world?...I asked this before and you end up with tepid ad hominem assaults on my position.

Feel free to provide some stats on Islamo terror groups worldwide.....(not from the US state department, ok??!!)....so that we can all have an idea of what the threat is.

And again, murder is committed around the world everyday....and far more people die from lack of medicine and health care, clean water and food than they do from "muslim terrorists". And more people die from the occupying armies of the US and its allies than from muslim terrorists. So, if thats ok with you....fine. IF being a neo colonial occupier is ok....if thats "working within the system"...then ok. Thats who you are.

You said: "what is the threat, apart from a very nasty bomb now and again?"

I assume that mankind will keep progressing both scientifically and technologically. The nasty bomb you pooh pooh now will eventually have the capability to turn entire cities into nuclear waste. A religious fanatic whose only purpose in life is to secure everlasting happiness in the "afterlife" will not think twice to bring this wish to a speedy conclusion. The combination of more insane fanatics and rapidly increasing availability of nuclear tecnology does not favor law and order societies but rather lawlessness and chaos. Places like Darfur and Somalia will be utopian compared to when civil societal structures break down. The term "Dead Enders" was'nt just Saddam's loyalists, it is the ultimate threat facing "civilized" mankind or even mankind itself. I hope I'm wrong and my prescient skills are far overated but the pieces of this puzzle are starting to take an ominous shape.

Google terrorist attacks around the world and find a list of attacks on innocent people around the globe. Pay special attention to the groups which perpetrated these acts in the last twenty or so years. This is the period that is most likely to influence future events, IMHO.The vast majority are perpetrated by Muslim inspired fanatics hell bent on taking innocent lives. Go to any "far right neo-con blogsite and you will find lists and lists of these terror incidents. Why can I so readily find these facts and you seem to be incapable of doing the same? I am sure that I am not any smarter or more intuitively endowed than you. Is it because there might be some measure of truth on "those" sights and it is more comfortable to remain within the sphere of like-minded viewpoint enforcers?

I fear Roman, that you live in a cartoon world. A right wing cartoon at that. I asked several times for some groups you feared...and what exactly you feared. There are indeed terror incidents.....and a lot of them by non muslims....and as I tried (apprently to no effect) to point out to you.....check the numbers please. How many people have died due to muslim terror?

Are the dead civilians in Iraq also innocent lives, do you think? I'd like you to answer that. Or the civilains in afganistan. Do they count as innocent lives?

If you care to look at the worst horrors of the last twenty years....I'd say they are pretty evently divided among all fantatical sides of religions....christian, muslim, hindu, jewish, and even buddhist. We are only going to round and round on this.....and since I now know you are a reader of far right blogs....i suspect there is little point in trying to curb your rather naked racism. You and your pals at little green footballs can froth indignant.....demonize arabs.....and refuse any historical perspective at all......it changes nothing. Facts are facts, Roman. Count the dead.....who and what has killed the most people? CERTAINLY NOT MUSLIM FANATICS. Why, then, do you suppose these people upset you so much. hmmm?

And a final note Roman.....you seem worried about nuclear holocaust.....how come the US (which has ready and armed something like 1600 nukes) doesnt bother you....or Israel's undeclared and unmonitored nuke arsenal. See, this is a very simplistic world view you have....and its also what I would call American Exceptionalism. You think the west is just peachy....the US and Uk can do what they want...or Israel....and thats fine, because we are "enlightened", right? Such colonial thinking has been going on a long time....and you are only the latest version of it.

POP QUIZ: which is the only country to have ever used the atomic bomb? Ok, hint....it wasnt a muslim country. This counts against your final grade.

You asked: "Are the dead civilians in Iraq also innocent lives, do you think? I'd like you to answer that. Or the civilains in afganistan. Do they count as innocent lives?"

YES. Did you really think I could ever respond to this question with a no? Talk about "demonizing! Yes it is amazing that the Shia are killing and maiming innocent Sunnis and vice versa. It's truly horrible that this sectarian violence is taking place while the coalition forces stand agape in wonderment. Do you really blame the "west" for this killing? Killing that has been going on since the Sunni and Shia split over a thousand years ago. Not in any direct manner but somehow by a clever turn of phrase you always manage. Sectarian violence within the Muslim communities claim more innocent lives than the west could ever be accused of perpetrating. Why did'nt Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan embrace the Palestinian people who were exiled from Israel and make them their brothers and sisters? Why did they set up refugee camps and let them live in squalor and treat them with disdain? These people were (and are presently being) used by the rest of the Arab world as pawns in their ancient attempt to remove (some may call it genocide) jews from their midst. Do the research and get the stats. Do I live in a cartoon world? You're the only one who has made that accusation (to date) so it rings a little hollow.Also, what is this?? Already accusing me of racism? Again you're the only one (to date). I don't buy it. Your anti-west and anti-democratic views are clearly identifiable through your incessant apologist stance for Muslim fundamentalist fanaticism. Your views are part of the problem and not part of the solution.I was'nt sure before but now recognize your "signature" style of intimidation by ad hominem attack and marginal viewpoints and realize that we have debated before on other blogs (mostly lefty) where you utilized another "nom de plume". I suspect you have many id's but cleverly never reveal anything about yourself. You might as well post anonymously and remove the contrived aura of genuine identifiable integrity. You're not fooling anyone.I wish you peace and happiness.

Roman:Ive never, as far as I know, debated you. I dont have a lot of IDs.....but this is hardly the point. If we did, maybe you could tell me where?

As i said, we go round and round. So most of what you've just laid out is the usual nonsense and muslim bashing of the far right.

The US ARMY, roman, not the muslims, are killing people in Iraq....an occupation army is the cause of the bloodshed.....and this is an historical fact.

Im sure your supported the invasion, right? On what grounds?

The US put saddam in power...lets not forget.....circa 1962...and gave him increased tax credits AFTER he gassed the Kurds (flying US made helicopters...though some claim it was iranian gas....so who knows). But again, you simply seem to grasp little of history. Since you suggested a google....I will suggest you google the term *colonialism* and read up on the topic.

And Afganistan? Innocent lives....and who's to blame for those? And Iran....who put the Shah in power? (SAVAK!!) and this is what led, eventually, to the Iranian revolution. See how it works!!

The sectarian violence you mention has most certainly NOT claimed more lives than US wars against same. How many dead in Iraq since the US invaded?

You are, yes, a racist, and a crypto-colonialist. You demonize arabs and all muslims and blame the refugee camps for palestinians on the muslims. Bizarre...truely. WHy is there a problem with Palestinians? Why are there palestinian refugees to begin with?

But enough......I think Ive laid out my arguments.....and I will leave it at that.

BEAT: the link was to a piece on Ryan air removing two middle eastern men at the insistance of a group of british passengers....though they had done nothing. That the airline went along with this is shocking....though not surprising when listening to people like roman.

I am disappointed. The positive thing about blogs is that it brings people together who wouldn’t normally meet so they can have a good row.

But when it gets personal, I find it a real turn off.

So, Roman. Why this kind of stuff?

we have debated before on other blogs (mostly lefty) where you utilized another "nom de plume". I suspect you have many id's but cleverly never reveal anything about yourself.

Roman, I actually don’t think you have debated before on other blogs. And so what if you have? The point about the comment part of blogs is that we don’t have to reveal anything about ourselves. If our arguments are crap then an intelligent person can simply take them apart.

Let’s lay off the personals and stick with the politics!

Getting personal is the last refuge of those who are losing the argument.

And that goes for anyone who wants to debate stuff here.

Step: I know the story. They don’t say exactly what these people were doing. Perhaps they were appearing in public with long beards. Who knows? But it is worrying.

And that would be my point. It is not what these jihadist wankers do that is the real problem in the long run, it’s how we react to it that will change our way of life,…or not. .

beat....Yeah, I dont know the exact story either.....and since its in the mail....one has to be careful....BUT, the fact that the airline saw fit to remove these two men from the flight does, indeed, seem worrying. The cause of the removal seems only to be that they were speaking arabic and kept their leather jackets on despite it being quite warm.

How do you arive at such a conclusive statement??: "Roman, I actually don’t think you have debated before on other blogs."

Also fair play is called for here.Any casual reader of these comments will immediately recognize that it was steppx who made the first direct personal attack by using the old standby phrase of "you're a racist"!I agree that "Getting personal is the last refuge of those who are losing the argument" and hope that steppx will refrain from such childish tactics in the future.

beatroot and roman - why don't we just let Israel fight their wars on their own - cutting all support from the outside world - especially from the States. And see how much of islamist terror remains. :) using what arguments can you show the war(s) of Israel is our war :)

Too much information.. The people that would do such a thing have no value system and certain serve no God of any kind. Every religion knows to serve God is to help others, not to kill them for a different point of view. Stop publishing stuff to encourge these people.

thank you very much for placing this on a website, this has been a great learning experience for me as it has just passed an hour of my life, when i should have been in my chemistry lesson, which incidently we were being taught how to make explosives. thanks again and i will see you in the next life infidels... ;)

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